Locomotive and similar vehicle provided with condensers



Patented @et 28, 1924.,

narran stares ear-,enr gcil-'fries Biennali: LJUNesTnivr, oF LiniNe-o-Bngivrir, SWEDEN, assreivon To nxrinisonacfni muivssmnius NGTURBIN, or srocnrioniu, SWEDEN, a conioniirroiv," f

LOCOMTIVE AND SIMILAR VEHICLE PRQVIDED WITH CDNDENSERS.

Application filed September' 24, 1923. Serial No. 654,600.

To all 'whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, FREDRIK LJUNGSTRM, a subject of the King of Sweden, residing at Lidingo-Brevik, Sweden, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Locomotives and Similar Vehicles Provided with Condensers, of which the following is a specification.

In order to construct a locomotive with a tractive power as great as possible in relation to the desired number of driving wheels, the constructor has to accommodate the weight of the locomotive in such a way, that the pressures of the. driving wheels become constant and of the highest admissible value. For this reason, thecoal and water supplies of `a locomotive are generally arranged on a separate tender running behind the locomotive proper7 in order to maintain a constant wheel pressure. In locomotives consisting of two separate cars and lprovided with condensers, and in which the boiler and a liquid receptacle which belongs to the `condenser plant and may operate under vacuum are arranged on separate cars, the driving inachinery being placed in part or entirely on the same car as the liquid receptacle, variations in thepressurefof the drivingwheels may arise on account of the quantity of liquid in the receptacle being subjected to variations. It has previously been suggested to take the feed water for the boiler from said receptacle, the liquid therein then consisting of water, anchas the quantity of water in the boiler is maintained substantially constant, losses of water which may be caused by leakage of steaml at shaft packings or the like, or because of exhaust steam used for driving certain auxiliary machines, for heating the train etc. being not utilized, will result in a decrease of the quantity of water in the liquid receptacle and, consequently, a decrease of the wheel pressure of the car supporting said receptacle, whereby the tractive power of the locomotive decreases correspondingly. I

Therpresent invention refers to` locomotives or similar vehicles which are providedl with eenden-sers and in which the boiler and a liquid receptacle which belongsvto the con# denser plant land may operate under vacuum, are placed on separate cars, the driving ma-y chinery being arranged in part or entirely7 on the same car asthe liquidreceptacle, and the invention has for its-object to effect a constant wheel pressure of the driving wheels of the condenser car. The invention consists in that a container containing water in reservefor the locomotive is arranged O n the car carrying` thek boiler.

In the accompanying drawings, Figs. s l and 2 show diagrammatically two einbodiments of a locomotive according to the pres- ,ent invention. f

l is the boiler car and 2 .the condenser car. On theboiler car, the boiler 3, the drivers vcab 4 and the coal bunker 5 are arranged, vwhereas an air-cooled part 6 belonging to the condenser plant, a liquid receptacle 7 and a driving motor are placed on the condenser car2. In the embodiment shown, the driving motor consists of a steam turbine 9 from which the motion is transmitted in known manner to the driving wheels 1 2, b

-means of the'toothed` gearing l0 and the coupling rod' appliance l1.

According to the drawings, the cars are coupled together by means of'a link coupling 14 of known type in such a manner that a so-called ideal centre 'of motion is obtained. Steam from the boiler istransmitted to the turbine 9 through the high` pressure steam conduit 13' which is capable of adjusting itself'according to the position of the cars in relation to each otherby means of a resilient bent part or by means of `an articulated coupling.

According to the embodiment shown in F ig. 1,'the exhaust steam` from the turbine passes to a condenser which consists of a surface condenserV 21.-The water of condensation together with cooling water are conducted through the pipe 22 intothe liquid receptacle 7 from which the water is pumped by means of the'punip 23 through the pipe 24 into the air-cooled part G'of the condenser plant in which part the water is cooled and 'whence' it is led to the surface condenser 21 through thejppe 25,- Instead eff surface for instance a mixing condenser, an ejector condenser etc. may be used.

ln the embodiment shown in Fig. 2, the condenser 21 is dispensed with, and the exhaust steam of the turbine enters in known manner the liquid receptacle 7 directly, said receptacle operating in this case under vacuum. The steam supply pipe is baiiied in such a manner that the steam enters the receptacle 7 above the liquid. ln several cases the total vquantity ci steam enters the aircooled part 6 in which it is condensed and from which it tio-ws down into the receptacle 7 in form of water, whereas in other cases a great part or the steam is condensed by the water in the receptacle 7, said receptacle operating in such case as a mixing or ejector condenser.

According to the present invention, a reserve container 2O is arranged in both embodiments on the boiler car, said container communicating with the receptacle 7 by means of a pipe 1S, a valve 16 and a float device 17. ln the embodiments shown the reserve container 20 lies below the boiler 3 of the locomotive in front of the furnace.

Supposing that the proper wheel pressure is obtained when the receptacle 7 contains a quantity of liquid corresponding to the water level 15 shown in the drawing, and that leakage or losses of steam due to the heating system for the train causes a fall of said water level, the valve 16 will be opened by the float device 17. rlhe vacuum which may prevail in the receptacle causes water to be sucked in through the pipe 18 from the reserve container 20, until the water level has again risen to the desired level, the float valve then closing the water supply anew. lf there is no vacuum in the receptacle 7, water may be pumped into said receptacle by means of a pump or the like. rlhe portion ol' the connecting pipe 18 which is situated between the cars, is so shaped as to permit being bent at dil'erent angular positions of the cars.

rlhe Yleed water of the boiler may also be taken directly from the reserve container.

According to the invention this container 20 is placed on the boiler car, as the wheel pressure of said car may vary without causing trouble, which, of course, must be the case, as variations in the wheel pressure of this car also arise on account of the varying quantity of the coal supply arranged on said car. Consequently, all supplies are placed on the boiler car. whereas the condenser car carrying the liquid receptacle always has a constant wheel pressure which may thus be selected as great as possible.

According to the invention the advantage is thus obtained that a constant maximum wheel pressure of the driving wheels is always attained, whereby the locomotive will always have the same maximum tractive power and may be built with a limited number of driving' wheels. Besides, a water supply rnay be talren with the train for journeys considerably longer than has previously been the case, as it is always possible to construct the boiler car in such a way that variations in the quantity of water of the container Q0 and thus in the wheel pressure, will be of no consequence. According to the invention the reserve container 2O is under atmospheric pressure, the same being connected with the atmosphere by means of a valve which, preferably, is connected with the float device 17 in such a manner that itis closed every time the reserve container might be completely emptied through the pipe 18, in order to prevent air from being sucked into the liquid container 7.

Several modiiications may be conceived without departing 'from the principles of the invention which is in no way dependent on the position of the reserve container 20 on the boiler car, nor on the construction of the float device.

l/Vhat l claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States of America is 1. ln locomotives comprising two separate cars, a boiler placed on the` one car, a condenser plant placedton the second car and comprising a receptacle containing water, a driving steam motor placed on the condenser car and a container containing water in reserve and placed on the boiler car.

2. ln locomotives comprising two separate cars, a boiler placed on the one car, a condenser plant placed on the second car and comprising a receptacle containing water, a driving` steam motor placed on the condenser car. a container containing water in reserve and placed on the boiler car and means conn necting said container with the condenser receptacle.

3. ln locomotives comprising two separate cars, a boiler placed 0n the one car, a condenser plant placed on the second car and comprising a receptacle containing water, a driving steam motor placed on the condenser car. a container containing water in reserve and placed on the boiler car and a pipe connecting said container with the condenser receptacle, the portion of said pipe which is situated between the cars being so shaped as to permit of being bent at different angular positions of the cars.

4. ln locomotives comprising two separate cars, a boiler placed on the one car, a condenser plant placed on the second car and comprising a receptacle containing water, a driving` steam motor placed on the condenser car, a container containing water in reserve and placed on the boiler car, a pipe connecting said container with the condenser receptacle and a iioat valve inserted in said pipe and controllinc said connection.

5. In locomotives comprising two separate lll) cars, a boiler placed on the one car, a condenser plant placed on the second car and comprising a receptacle containing Water, a driving steam motor placed on the condenser car and a container containing Water in reserve and placed on the boiler cal' below the boiler and in front of the furnace.

FREDRIK LJUNGSTRM.

Witnesses i KARL RUNESKOG, L. BERG HINDE. 

